Accra, April 28, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings is participating in a two-day African Presidential Roundtable 2009 in Berlin, Germany, which begins on Tuesday, according to a statement released by his aide, Mr Kofi Adams. This year's Roundtable is on the theme, "Leadership Challenges of Land Reform in Africa". The statement said African Presidential Roundtable was a signature programme of the African Presidential Archives and Research Centre (APARC) at Boston University. The statement said participants at the 2009 event included other former African Heads of State and students from American-African Universities. On Monday President Rawlings and his colleagues held a private luncheon with German President Horst Kohler. He will participate in two sessions on Land Reform titled: "The Historical and Political Challenges of Land Reform and Property Rights" and "The Strategies and Models for Land Reform and Property Rights on Tuesday." The statement said on Wednesday former President Rawlings would take part in the third and final session, which is "Building a Consensus around Land Reform and Property Rights." APARC is a multidisciplinary, university-based centre, and was established to complement Boston University's African Studies programme. President Rawlings took part in the first APARC Roundtable at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in 2005 under the theme "Africa's image in the American media."

Former President Rawlings was joined by former Presidents Nic=E9phore D. Soglo of Benin, Pierre Buyoya of Burundi, Ant=F3nio Mascarenhas Monteiro of Cape Verde, Aristides Maria Pereira of Cape Verde, Ketumile Masire of Botswana, Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya, Karl Auguste Offmann of Mauritius, Joaquim Alberto Chissano of Mozambique, Ali Hassan Mwinyi of Tanzania, and Dr. Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.